CLEVELAND — Adam Silver has been made right into a idiot.
In Week 1 of the NBA season — the opening week! — stars and teams made it pretty clear they’re not playing more due to the commissioner’s latest “data” or directives.
Silver, for those who remember, established a player-participation policy before this season because attendance from stars was spotty and dragging down the product. Summarized, the brand new rules carried an easy message: Show as much as work more often, and particularly show up when there’s a national TV audience or during considered one of Silver’s beloved in-season tournament games.
The NBA also conveniently produced latest “data” suggesting that load management doesn’t work. Never mind that it contradicted the “scientific data” Silver referenced on the 2023 All-Star Weekend to essentially endorse rest.
But back then, just eight months ago, Silver was still the “player empowerment” commissioner about to barter a latest collective bargaining agreement with the union. Now he’s negotiating a broadcasting rights contract — price billions upon billions of dollars — and wishes more commitment from his stars for leverage.
Joe Dumars, who oversees basketball operations for the NBA, went on a media tour to clarify why resting doesn’t work despite years of allowing it to occur. Evan Wasch, the league’s executive vice chairman of basketball strategy, acknowledged the additional motivation behind the push.
“Yes, it’s the case that because we’re negotiating TV deals in the following 12 months or two here, it takes on even greater importance,” Wasch told the Athletic.
Except the players and teams aren’t cooperating.
Through Monday — seven days after the season opener — the next former All-Stars all missed at the least one game: Bradley Beal (Phoenix), Devin Booker (Phoenix), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland), Darius Garland (Cleveland), Klay Thompson (Golden State), Draymond Green (Golden State), James Harden (Sixers), Khris Middleton (Bucks), Kyrie Irving (Mavericks), Jimmy Butler (Heat), Bam Adebayo (Heat) and Brandon Ingram (Pelicans).
A few of those players were healthy DNPs. Others were coping with minor stuff. Only Garland and Beal were injured enough to miss multiple games. Again, it’s the primary week of the season.
We get the sense Silver is willing to take care of these absences so long as his in-season tournament is well attended. It’s his latest baby. Take into account that one other big Silver addition — the reconfigured All-Star Game — was already scrapped following the bottom rankings ever. His play-in tournament has been more successful.
The issue with “the player-participation policy” is it feels so insulting and disingenuous. You have got to beg your teams and players to indicate as much as work? You have got to offer incentives — like a minimum variety of games for postseason awards consideration — to care concerning the regular season? You have got to present latest data — which contradicts the old data — to show that playing the allotted schedule isn’t physically harmful? Meanwhile, you’re also asking John Doe to pay $500 for a family of 4 to observe.
The answer that makes essentially the most sense — to chop down the variety of games — apparently isn’t an option. Why? That cuts deep into revenue.
So as an alternative, the commissioner threatens to take attendance and stars find alternative ways to not play.
CLEVELAND — Adam Silver has been made right into a idiot.
In Week 1 of the NBA season — the opening week! — stars and teams made it pretty clear they’re not playing more due to the commissioner’s latest “data” or directives.
Silver, for those who remember, established a player-participation policy before this season because attendance from stars was spotty and dragging down the product. Summarized, the brand new rules carried an easy message: Show as much as work more often, and particularly show up when there’s a national TV audience or during considered one of Silver’s beloved in-season tournament games.
The NBA also conveniently produced latest “data” suggesting that load management doesn’t work. Never mind that it contradicted the “scientific data” Silver referenced on the 2023 All-Star Weekend to essentially endorse rest.
But back then, just eight months ago, Silver was still the “player empowerment” commissioner about to barter a latest collective bargaining agreement with the union. Now he’s negotiating a broadcasting rights contract — price billions upon billions of dollars — and wishes more commitment from his stars for leverage.
Joe Dumars, who oversees basketball operations for the NBA, went on a media tour to clarify why resting doesn’t work despite years of allowing it to occur. Evan Wasch, the league’s executive vice chairman of basketball strategy, acknowledged the additional motivation behind the push.
“Yes, it’s the case that because we’re negotiating TV deals in the following 12 months or two here, it takes on even greater importance,” Wasch told the Athletic.
Except the players and teams aren’t cooperating.
Through Monday — seven days after the season opener — the next former All-Stars all missed at the least one game: Bradley Beal (Phoenix), Devin Booker (Phoenix), Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland), Darius Garland (Cleveland), Klay Thompson (Golden State), Draymond Green (Golden State), James Harden (Sixers), Khris Middleton (Bucks), Kyrie Irving (Mavericks), Jimmy Butler (Heat), Bam Adebayo (Heat) and Brandon Ingram (Pelicans).
A few of those players were healthy DNPs. Others were coping with minor stuff. Only Garland and Beal were injured enough to miss multiple games. Again, it’s the primary week of the season.
We get the sense Silver is willing to take care of these absences so long as his in-season tournament is well attended. It’s his latest baby. Take into account that one other big Silver addition — the reconfigured All-Star Game — was already scrapped following the bottom rankings ever. His play-in tournament has been more successful.
The issue with “the player-participation policy” is it feels so insulting and disingenuous. You have got to beg your teams and players to indicate as much as work? You have got to offer incentives — like a minimum variety of games for postseason awards consideration — to care concerning the regular season? You have got to present latest data — which contradicts the old data — to show that playing the allotted schedule isn’t physically harmful? Meanwhile, you’re also asking John Doe to pay $500 for a family of 4 to observe.
The answer that makes essentially the most sense — to chop down the variety of games — apparently isn’t an option. Why? That cuts deep into revenue.
So as an alternative, the commissioner threatens to take attendance and stars find alternative ways to not play.
